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"Customer First", yes, it's a cliché that a lot of organizations use. They even use catchphrases like "customer centric", "customer focused", or "the customer is always right". Are these just catchy jingles for our websites and break rooms? Or is there a way to incorporate these phrases into our company’s everyday operations?

Organizations can't claim these victories without investing heavily in their customers. Putting the customer first every time is a long process that requires constant feedback and a thorough understanding of the needs of our customers or what the customer "feels" is right. This is no different than any other relationship we have. For example, if you don't communicate with your spouse or significant other you won't know their desires, their ideas, or how their priorities are changing. We seek constant feedback to help foster a healthy/loving relationship.

Here at SupplySide, we work hard to apply the "customer first" approach every time, and we very deliberately redesigned our website to reflect this. We knew that we wanted something user friendly, something that was easy to navigate, and a tool that would put us toe to toe with our competitors. We wanted an easy to navigate e-commerce tool, and we knew that we couldn't do it alone.

Early on in the process, we asked some of our clients to help us get their ideas on paper. This detailed and time consuming process helped us answer a lot of questions. Quickly, we noticed that there were cases where our priorities did not match our customers’.

Additionally, we learned that some customers were having a hard time navigating our website. Adding more detail while retaining an ease of use became our top goal for the website. Our clients’ valuable feedback included a suggestion to break things down by category. It made the most sense for us to take their route and adopt what the customer wants. This was an easy negotiation.

Our website today has the customer in focus, and it continues to evolve as we learn from what our customers tell us. Please let us know how we can improve and continue to put you first!